Rubber shoe



G. B. NEWTON May 22, 1934.

RUBBER SHOE Filed Aug. 7, 1929 in! L1 Wen $010.

Patented May 22, 1934 RUBBER SHOE George B. Newton, Chicago, Ill.-, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Nelson Littell, New

Canaan, Conn.

Application August 7, 1929, Serial No. 384,117

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in rubber shoes or slippers and methods of forming the same and its purpose is to provide an improved shoe adapted particularly for use as a bath slipper or the like which is adapted to adhere to any surface on which it is placed so that slipping is effectively prevented. A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe or slipper formed of sponge rubber having the sole thereof provided with a plurality of pores throughout its area adapted to have to some extent the effect of minute suction cups which prevent the slipping of the sole on any surface on which it may be placed. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of forming a slip-f per according to which a sheet of sponge rubber is split into two parts after which the skin sides of these parts are united to form a thick sheet having porous surfaces and capable of being cut up to form the sole of the shoe or slipper, thus presenting a porous surface to the floor or pavement and also to the foot of the wearer. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved shoe or slipper and method of forming the same according to which the sole has a porous contacting surface formed of sponge rubber while the top of the upper part of the shoe is formed of sponge rubber having the skin side thereof presented inwardly so that it may be readily placed on the foot of the wearer or withdrawn therefrom. Other objects relate to various features of the process and to various features of construction which will be pointed out more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawing, in which one example of the improved shoe and one method of forming it are illustrated. In the drawing,

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a sheet of sponge rubber having upper and lower skin surfaces, showing the sheet partially divided longitudinally to form two layers each having a skin surface and a porous surface;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sole of the shoe formed from a rubber sheet made up of two layers of sponge rubber each having a skin surface and a porous surface;

Fig. 3 shows a top plan view of a half portion of the upper part of the shoe cut from a layer of sponge rubber similar to one of the half sheets or layers shown in Fig. 1, and v Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the completed shoe or slipper formed according to the present invention.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is illustrated a sheet 10 of sponge rubber of the usual form, comprising an intermediate cellular structure 10 comprising a plurality of minute cells or pores distributed throughout the body of the rubber, and an outer skin 10 on each side thereof which is relatively thin and non-porous. This sheet of sponge rubber is preferably dyed a suitable color preliminary to molding it and if the sole of the shoe is to be formed from the sheet it may preferably have a thickness of a half inch or more, for example. Having formed the sheet 10, it is divided longitudinally parallel to its flat surfaces and midway between them, as shown at 11, to form two flat sheets 12 each having a porous surface 12 on one side and a non-porous surface on the other side formed by one of the skins 10 These sheets 12 are then reversed in position and superimposed upon each other with the skins l0 together, after first applying to the skin surfaces a layer of rubber cement so that two layers are then united by the cement with the porous surfaces 12 presented outwardly. The sheet having porous surfaces may-preferably be subjected to further heat for a short period, for example, about two minutes, in order to cure and harden the rubber cement and effect a firm union of the skin surfaces of the superimposed layers. The sheet made up of the superimposed layers 12 is then cut up to form the soles of the shoe having the form shown at 13 in Fig. 2, having an upper porous surface 13* on which the foot of the wearer is adapted to rest and a similar lower surface 13 adapted to rest on the floor or other support.

The top or upper part of the shoe is formed from sponge rubber of similar character to that from which the sole is formed except that it is preferably thinner and is preferably made up of one layer of sponge rubber formed by dividing the original sheet so that each divided part has a skin surface on one side and a porous surface on the other. This half sheet or layer is cut by suitable dies or the like to form a half-upper 14, having the form shown in Fig. 3, having a skin surface l4 on one side and a porous surface 14 on the other. Each half-upper 14 may be half the thickness of the sole 13, or less, and it is adapted to form the tip and one side of the shoe or slipper when united to the sole. The shoe is formed from the sole 13 and two of the half-uppers 14 by uniting the edges 14 of the half-uppers with the edges 13 of the sole 13, preferably by the use of rubber cement or the like. The straight inn er edges 14 of the uppers which a half layer of sponge rubber with the skin side thereof directed inwardly, is cemented over the front portion of the shoe and over the joint formed by uniting the edges 14 as shown in Fig. 4. When these parts have been cemented together, there is formed a shoe or slipper 16 having the form shown in Fig. 4, with an opening 1'7 through which the foot is capable of being inserted and having the skin sides 14. of the parts of the upper directed inwardly so that the foot of the wearer is permitted to slip into or out of the shoe readily while the sponge rubber surface of the sole presents a soft portion in immediate contact with the under side of the foot. When all of the parts of the shoe or slipper have been cemented togther, it is preferably subjected to a. further heating operation for a limited period, for example, one or two minutes, in order to cure and harden the rubber cement by which the various joints are formed. T

The shoe or slipper constructed according to the method described above is particularly adapted for use as a bath slipper since the porous sponge rubber surface of the sole effectually prevents it from slipping'on hard or glazed surfaces, such as the tile floors of bathrooms or the like, and it is also well adapted for use as a beach slipper to be worn by bathers. The portions 14 from which the top of the shoe is formed may preferably be dyed a distinguishing color different from that of .the sole and the tip 15 may have a third color, so that the slipper is capable of being made up to have a distinguishing appearance. The sponge rubber from which the sole is formed is preferably of such construction that the pores or cells thereof are comparatively small so that a great number of suction cups of minute area are presented to the surface on which the sole rests. The. capillarity of these relatively small pores may efiectually prevent water from passing through the layers of the sole to an appreciable extent even where the pores communicate with each other above the lower surface and the passage of moisturethrough the sole is further definitely prevented by the two layers of the skin 10 which are united throughout the area of the intermediate parts of the sole.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described in connection with the explanation of one method of forming the same, it will be understood that the improved shoe or slipper may be constructed in various forms and that the new method may be practiced in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe comprising a sole made up of a plurality of layers of sponge .rubber having the porous sponge surface presented downwardly and having a layer of rubber skin extending throughout the area of the upper portion of the sole.

2. A shoe comprising a sole formed of a pair of layers of sponge rubber each having a skin surface and a porous sponge rubber surface with the skin surfaces incontact arid united with each other.

3. A shoe comprising a sole having a lower porous surface of sponge rubber, and an upper 4. A shoe comprising a sole formed of sponge rubber having a porous lower surface and having an upper formed of sponge rubber having a porous outer surface and a non-porous inner sur face.

5. The method of forming a shoe from sponge rubber which consists in dividing a sheet of sponge rubber to form two layers each having a skin surface and a porous surface, then cementing the skin surfaces of said layers together, and then cutting the sole of the shoe from said cemented layers.

6. The method of forming a shoe which comprises the steps of dividing a sheet of sponge rubber to form two layers each having a skin surface and a porous surface, then cementing the skin surfaces of said layers together, then cutting the sole of the shoe from said cemented layers, and then forming the upper part of the shoe from rubber and cementing it to the edges of said sole.

7. The method of forming a shoe which comprises the steps of dividing a sheet of sponge rubber to form two layers each having a skin surface and a porous surface, then cementing the skin surfaces of said layers together, then cutting the sole of the shoe from said cemented layers, then forming two upper sections of sponge rubber each having a skin surface presented inand cementing. said upper sections to each other and to the outer portions of the sole.

8. The method-of forming a shoe which comprises the steps of dividing a sheet of sponge rubber to form two layers each having a skin surface and a porous surface, "then cementing the skin surfaces of said layers together, then cutting the sole of the shoe from said cemented layers, then forming two upper sections of sponge rubber each having a skin surface presented inwardly and a porous surface presented outwardly, cementing said upper sections to each other and to the outer portions of the sole, and reenforcing the tip of the shoe by cementing thereto a layer of sponge rubber having a skin side thereof presented inwardly.

9. A rubber shoe of the class described comprising a porous sponge rubber sole portion and a sponge rubber upper portion, one of said portions being provided with the non-porous skin thereon.

10. A rubber shoe of the class described comprising a porous sponge rubber sole portion and a sponge rubber upper portion, one of said portions being provided with a non-porous skin thereon, said skin facing inwardlywhereby insertion and removal of the foot is facilitated.

11. A sponge rubber shoe of the class described. having a sponge rubber body portion, a sole portion of sponge rubber, part of said shoe having a ing porous portion, said non-porous portion consisting of the natural skin of sponge rubber.

. GEORGE B. NEWTON.

'wardly and a porous surface presented outwardly, 

